Prejudice And Racism In The Help By Kathryn Stockett

He got the idea from a book called “The Invisible Man”, and Aibileen decides to help Skeeter with it because of Miss Hilly. Unlike the book, Skeeter comes up with the idea of writing what it’s like to be a black maid working for a white family herself, and Aibileen chooses to help her with it because of God and Miss Hilly. Near the end of the book, Aibileen gives Skeeter a copy of “The Help” signed by everyone that helped out. In the movie, the church (filled with everyone who helped the book) gives Aibileen a signed book.

The movie, The Help, is based on the book written by Kathryn Stockett. It was released in 2011 and directed by Tate Taylor (Taylor, 2017). The Help is set in Jackson, Mississippi in the 1960’s, and it is about the experiences black women had as maids for white families. These women decided to risk it all and tell their stories in an effort to show what is was really like for them (Taylor, 2011). The Help illustrates how these women fought racism and prejudice by becoming unified with one another. This paper will address how prejudice, discrimination, stereotyping, and inequality affect the characters and their relationships in the story.

It was 1962, in Jackson, Mississippi, in the “wonderful” United States of America. At this time, racism was very prevalent. We can gather that, this was a time where white people were often convinced to marry early and start having kids. The problem with this is, they also all worked so the women didn’t have time to care for their children. This is why many women had a black maid.

In this essay, both texts, “To kill a Mockingbird” and “The Help”, will be looked at in depth, and the range of literary devices and techniques used in order to portray the theme of racism will be analyzed. The emotional attachment between protagonists, and the positive perspectives shared by characters portray the overall theme of racism and how this is oppressive for all people involved.

In the novel, Sue Monk Kidd demonstrates instutionalized racism as she shows Rosaleen treatment with attempting to register to vote. As Lily

The Help is an inspiring movie, centralized on themes of showing courage in the midst of adversity and racial desegregation. The selection of actors with specific attributes, lighting/camera angles, and music, allows the movie to entertain in detail, and highlight the prime issues of the 1960s. With the movie being directed with these specifities in mind, the author, Kathryn Stockett, is able to successfully relay her message in the screenplay.

[...] God, would they beat her the way they beat the colored boy who used the white bathroom?” (Stockett, 181). Skeeter, like all other people, is not invincible, and she knows it. She realizes that there is no

”(Stockett 123). Skeeter calls her mother out for not being a mother and tells her mother that she believes Constantine raised her and is the real reason for who she is today. Another reason why Skeeter turned out this way is because of the lack of her real mothers presence. Constantine had to step in and take over as Skeeter’s mother figure, therefore Skeeter’s views on the maids and the “negroes” in Jackson, Alabama are perceived differently than other white peoples views. This is because of her lack of having a real white mom which is why Skeeter admires and looks up to Constantine.

One World, Many Colors Racism was a huge problem back in the day and still is in today’s society. When one race thinks that they have more power over another race, calls another race names based on their skin color, language, etc.. That is racism. In the novel “The Help” by Kathryn Stockett many forms of racism are shown in the following quotes, “Hilly raises her voice about three octaves when talking to black people. Elizabeth smiles like she’s talking to a child, although certainly not her own.

Kathryn Stockett’s The Help delves into the difficult theme of racism, an element very prevalent in the twentieth century. Both Stockett and F. Scott Fitzgerald reflect on the state of society of the century from completely different periods of time, in two different parts of the United States. Racism in The Help is portrayed as being an old-time mindset leftover in modern times as the white folks of Mississippi believe, however, it is also something that is still very much woven into the fabric of their society. The white folks do not believe themselves to be racists, how could they, when they employ coloured folks.

Dr. David Pilgrim is a scholar on controversies in correlation to multiculturalism, diversity, and race relations. As an identified public speaker, he is interviewed by countless acclaimed sources, such as Time Magazine, New York Times, and Washington Post. Widely recognized for being the founder of the Jim Crow Museum; he aspires to invoke conversations regarding diversity and race relations to stir positive development. As a professor of Sociology at Ferris State University, Pilgrim delves into the impertinent caricature of ‘Mammy’ in relation to African American Women. This became an idealistic image politically, socially and economically for the Caucasian mass of America, especially prominent amongst the Jim Crow Era.

These protagonists are two maids referred to as ‘the help’, 53-year-old Abileen and 30-year-old Minny as well as local journalist 23-year-old Eugenia Phelan ‘Skeeter’. Stockett describes each of these characters in a different light, showing the different challenges that occur because of race and gender. The protagonist of Skeeter, is illustrated as young journalist, who is a 23 years old and has strong beliefs surrounding civil and women’s rights. Stockett added Skeeter because she worried that readers wouldn't trust her if she only wrote about ‘black’ characters such as Abileen and Minny as mentioned in the novels credits. Skeeter is involved with a high-society ‘white’ ladies group, where she struggles to fit in after leaving her home town for a year and having changed perceptions.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett is ultimately about the racism in Jackson,Mississippi and how it invaded every aspect of social life. The story highlights the life of a girl named Skeeter she has just graduated from Ole Miss and has an interest in writing as she edits the news letters for The Junior League,but she really wants to be an author. She comes up with the idea of telling the true stories of the domestic victims this soon becomes a reality once the publisher approves of her idea she soon finds out the horrific stories about everyone around her. People may say this story only highlights the domestic victims life this may be somewhat true the book is in Skeeter’s point of view. This story's theme is about racism,segregation,and overcoming obstacles in society.

The movie industry has developed tremendously with movies made that are not afraid to address the current social issues in the world. There is also a trend today where more books are made into movies with the list being endless such as the popular hunger games and Harry Potter books. This caters to those who prefer watching the aspects of the book rather than reading and those who have read the book and what their imagination of scenes in the book fulfilled. The Help (2011) is an adaptation from the book with the same title by Kathryn Stockett. The movie is about African American maids and the hardships they had to endure working for white families during the civil rights

Society has changed and evolved throughout time. Perhaps one of the most significant changed in contemporary American society is the treatment towards African Americans. “The Help” a feature film directed by Tate Taylor is based on the non-fictional novel “The Help” written by author Kathryn Sockett. The feature film explores the life of African American maids of Jackson Mississippi, in the early 1960’s. The 1960’s displayed all African Americans to being left out of the “American dream” through neglect and racism. African Americans faced prejudice and discrimination in almost every aspect of their life, from jobs to housing and even their education. They were denied the right to sit at the same lunch counter or use the same public rest